How to Make Thai Sticky Rice (and How To Eat It)

Before I ever came to Thailand when I was in university, I sometimes went to a Thai restaurant in the US, and I would order green curry along with Thai sticky rice.

I can’t remember exactly how I would eat it, but I think I would just take some of the green curry, put it onto my sticky rice, and eat it off my plate using a fork.

Fast forward 10 years, after living in Thailand for years now, and learning so much about the food, I sometimes look back on that story, and I have to chuckle at myself.

Why?

Because in Thailand, eating green curry with sticky rice, just doesn’t go together; Most Thais would not even think of eating that combination.

How to make awesome Thai sticky rice!

Green curry is eaten with regular steamed rice. The reason is, green curry originates from the central region of Thailand, where regular rice is the staple.

Sticky rice originates from the northern and northeastern regions of Thailand, and green curry is not part of the local food culture.

NOTE: I’m by all means not saying it’s bad to eat green curry and sticky rice, and if you like to do it, go for it (I like it too). But I’m just using this as an example so we can learn about the culture of eating sticky rice in Thailand.

This is often how you’ll get sticky rice at a restaurant in Thailand

Now let’s move into sticky rice…

Sticky rice is likely something you think about when you think about Thai food.

And there’s a good reason for that, sticky rice is one of the major staples of Thai cuisine… that is, in certain regions of Thailand (we’ll go over that in detail in this post).

Sticky rice in Thailand is eaten as a staple starch – the main filler of a meal, it’s also eaten as a snack along with something salty like grilled meat, and it’s also an important ingredient in many Thai desserts.

In this post, I’m not only going to explain to you how to make Thai sticky rice, but I’m also going to offer a bit of information about the culture of eating sticky rice and how it’s eaten in Thailand.

First, what is sticky rice?

Sticky rice is a type of rice that is extremely sticky – in fact when you pick it up with your fingers, it will stick to your fingers.

The grains are glutinous, like tiny little gummy worms (it’s not sweet of course, but that’s closest texture I can think of).

But why is it so sticky?

This article by The Kitchn explains that all rice is made up of two different parts of starch components: amylose and amylopectin. Now, I don’t really begin to know what each really is, but sticky rice contains almost zero amylose and all amylopectin, and that’s the reason it’s sticky.

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When you look at raw sticky rice, it looks almost the same as normal long grain rice, but you’ll notice the color is whiter and milky – it’s not transparent at all.

In Thailand, sticky rice is considered a serious energy food. And many people often think that if you’re feeling sleepy or need a nap, you may have eaten too much sticky rice (this is a joke, but I have heard many Thais use it)!

But there is a point to it – Thai sticky rice is higher in calories and takes longer to digest than regular rice. That’s one of the reasons why eating sticky rice is so common for farmers and laborers in Thailand – to have lasting energy.

That energy can either be used to burn as you work, or if you don’t have any work, it just makes you sleepy.

I’m here to tell you, if you eat a bunch of sticky rice, you may feel the need to take a nap!

The sticky rice region of Thailand

Where is sticky rice eaten?

Steaming sticky rice in Isaan

While Thailand is famous for eating sticky rice, where exactly is it the main staple in people’s diets?

The answer is mostly in both the northeastern (the region referred to as Isan or Isaan) and the northern regions of Thailand.

Also, I just wanted to mention that these regions of Thailand are very similar to many parts of the country of Laos (where the majority of the country consumes sticky rice), and share many cultural and culinary parallels.

Throughout Isaan and the northern parts of Thailand, sticky rice is grown and consumed daily. For many, a meal is not complete without eating sticky rice.

When you are traveling or visiting Isaan or the north of Thailand, you’ll have the opportunity to eat sticky rice for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for snacks as well.

In Bangkok, sticky rice is available nearly everywhere you look, especially since the city is made up of a massive population of residents originating from northern and northeastern parts of Thailand. You’ll find sticky rice at all Isaan restaurant throughout Bangkok, as well as at food stalls that serve grilled meat or moo ping (skewers of grilled pork).

In the south of Thailand, and traditionally in much of the central parts of Thailand, regular white steamed rice, is the standard staple, not sticky rice. However, you’ll still find Isaan restaurants throughout all of Thailand, and you’ll find sticky rice at all Isaan restaurants. Additionally, in the south of Thailand, as well as in other regions, sticky rice is commonly used in sweet desserts, but not as the staple.

Culture of eating sticky rice

4,000 years of being in-grained into Isaan and northern Thailand, and you can imagine how sticky rice is not only a part of meals, but it’s a major part of culture.

Sticky rice is what many people grow and eat and socialize around.

In Thailand, families often live together – grandparents, parents, kids, babies – and this holds especially true in the more traditional countryside of Thailand, as opposed to the more modern cities. Meals are eaten family style.

Sticky rice is usually steamed in the early morning, then stuffed into a specific sticky rice basket called a kradib khao neow (กระติ๊บข้าวเหนียว), and the same batch is eaten throughout the day.

The basket is made from thin slivers of bamboo, all weaved together in a tight cylinder basket with a lid. It’s typically a communal family basket, and so enough sticky rice is made for everyone in the family.

A kradib khao neow (กระติ๊บข้าวเหนียว) keeps the rice from getting hard and crusty on the edges, and though it eventually does cool off, it remains soft and fluffy throughout the day.

When meal times roll around, or even snacks, the big basket of communal sticky rice is placed in the center, and all eaters grab a handful and consume it with the side dishes.

A northern Thai meal I bought at the market – sticky rice in banana leaf

Sticky is eaten with fingers. To eat, you normally take a sticky ball of grains about the size of an olive, and form it into a small ball shape with your fingers.

You can then either eat it straight, or proceed to dip it into the sauce of one of the side dishes.

Depending on what dish you dip your sticky rice into, it will probably be something with a little spice and lime juice from the dish, to give each bite of your sticky rice flavor.

Although you’ll find the big sized kradib khao neow (กระติ๊บข้าวเหนียว) in the countryside in Thailand, in cities and at restaurants you’ll often be served individual portions of sticky rice in small sticky rice baskets, but the same eating method applies.

Also, on the streets or at local markets, vendors normally dish out sticky rice in plastic bags or in banana leaf wrappers.

Grilled chicken and sticky rice – yes please!

What food do I eat sticky rice with?

Going back to the story I shared with you at the beginning, while sticky rice is available all over Thailand, it’s not necessarily eaten with all Thai food.

The food eaten with Thai sticky rice correlates and is characterized by region and geographical location of Thailand.

Again, if you want to eat sticky rice with any Thai dish, I think that’s alright, and I would go for it. But I just want to cover the traditions of Thailand and Thai culture.

How to make Thai sticky rice (วิธีทำ ข้าวเหนียว)

How to make sticky rice

Ok, now that we’ve covered quite a lot of information on what sticky rice is and how it’s eaten in Thailand, we are ready to dive into the sticky rice recipe.

Soak the sticky rice overnight

In sticky rice eating regions of Thailand, the rice is usually soaked in water overnight, and for this recipe that’s exactly what I’ll be doing.

If you don’t soak it overnight, make sure you soak it at least for 4 – 5 hours.

There are some recipes that say you can skip the soaking and just steam for 1 – 2 hours or something like that, but I think for the greatest results, it’s best to stick with the traditional Thai and Laos method of soaking the rice overnight.

To soak the rice, you don’t need to rinse it, just add the amount of rice you want to cook into a plastic tub or metal bowl, submerge it in water, and let it sit.

When it comes time to cook, I like to just grab the rice out of the water with my hands, strain, and the water left behind should be milky from the starch.

Steaming

Cooking Thai sticky rice in Isaan

In Thailand, sticky rice is steamed in a basket made from bamboo called a teeneung khao neow (ที่นึ่งข้าวเหนียว).

The basket is the shape of a big cone, closed off at one end, and open and wide at the top.

The sticky rice is added to the bottom of basket, placed over a pot of water, and steamed. The weave of the basket allows hot steam to rise, cooking the rice evenly and beautifully.

Now, you don’t need all this equipment to make sticky rice, but it is helpful. Alternatively you could also come up with your own type of steaming mechanism, like a cloth or mesh that somehow is raised above a pot of water. Just make sure the rice is above the water, not touching it.

This is a recipe for how to make Thai sticky rice (วิธีทำ ข้าวเหนียว). The best way to make it, is to soak raw sticky rice in water overnight, allow it to sit, then steam it for about 15 minutes. You'll have beautiful fluffy and delicious sticky rice. Read the recipe below, and watch the video here.

The night before you want to cook sticky rice, take your raw sticky rice, place it into a bowl or plastic tub, submerge in water, and allow to soak room temperature overnight. Alternatively, you can soak for at least 4 - 5 hours, but overnight is best.

Take the sticky rice out of the water (and the grains should be softer and a little swollen), and place into a bamboo steamer, or any type of steamer. Cover the steamer with either a lid, or you can do what I did and cover the basket with a cloth, then a metal lid - just to keep all the steam within the rice.

Add water to a pot with the steamer over the pot (just make sure the water doesn’t touch the sticky rice), and once the water comes to a boil, steam for 15 - 20 minutes (usually 15 minutes for me is perfect) on a medium heat.

After 15 minutes take off the lid carefully, because it will be very hot, and just grab a taste test of the sticky rice to make sure it’s soft and fluffy. If it’s still a little crunchy, steam for a few more minutes, but if it’s good to go, turn off the heat and either eat immediately, or transfer to some sort of airtight container or basket to hold until you’re ready to eat.

Enjoy Thai sticky rice while it's hot and fresh.

Notes

Sticky rice is best eaten with northern and northeastern Thai dishes like green papaya salad (ส้มตำ) or laab (ลาบ). Get more recipes here.

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Northern Thai style basket for sticky rice

Conclusion

Thai sticky rice (khao neow ข้าวเหนียว) is the most important staple of Thai cuisine in the northeastern and northern regions of Thailand.

In this recipe you’ll learn how to make Thai sticky rice so it turns out delicious and fluffy, and also how it’s cooked and eaten in Thailand.

Sticky rice makes a wonderful complement to so many Isaan and northern Thai dishes.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe, and I would be thrilled if you would leave a comment below, and share this recipe with someone you know who loves Thai food as well.

Also, be sure to check out all of my Thai recipes here, for many more delicious dishes.

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Amy

4 days ago

I have made sticky rice several times with the bamboo steamer basket like yours. The problem I have is cleaning the basket afterward. Grains of rice get stuck to the bamboo and I can’t seem to find a solution to getting the basket clean. Any tips?

Why can’t the Thai glutinous rice be cooked like other rices, submerged in water in a pot? Will it turn into congee? I’ve made it Chinese-style using lotus leaves in a bamboo steamer, but it was labour-intensive (and yummy!).

I really appreciate your detailed and interesting post. You have inspired me to delve into cooking sticky rice using the proper steaming basket. I have enjoyed reading about your experience with Thai food and culture. Thank you for brightening my day.

I’ve just started exploring cooking Thai food at home and so have just found your website and I’m loving it! You are so helpful and take some of the concerns and fears I had of cooking authentic Thai cuisine.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your not only your recipes but your really helpful information.

I love sticky rice. I had to do lots of research years ago when I wanted to learn about it.
I found an Asian market and bought the cone. I made rice every few days. My problem is finding the best tasting rice. The first one I bought was great but others weren’t so tasty. I wish I would have found your article back then. Thanks for sharing.

Is Forbidden Rice the same as Black Sticky Rice. Great recipe, I have had a bag of white sticky rice for a month and hadn’t gotten around to cooking it..After many years of eating Thai food I have never delved into the cooking experience, I think we will be eating allot of Thai food while I hone my skills Thanks for the great place to start!

I absolutely loved your post! I just came back from Thailand and spent some time with a host family in Chiang Mai and everything you said is spot on! Incidentally they happened to be farmers so we had sticky rice all day long! It was so delicious to me I’m so glad I now have a recipe to make it. Khob khun ka

How could I not know how to do this after so many years of enjoying it (and even having one of the cooking baskets gifted to me several years ago; it sits untouched). Thanks for the info and video! Can’t wait to try it out.

I found a good hack for sticky rice without buying or ordering the special basket. You need two ‘splatter screens’–basically a sieve but flat–available at the dollar store. Put one screen over a regular, wide pot with the water and pile the soaked rice in the middle of it. Then take a stainless steel bowl and cover your pile of rice. The diameter of the bowl should be less than the diameter of the screen. Halfway through the cooking time, lift up the bowl and place the second screen on top of the rice pile, in a kind of sandwich. Flip it over and then remove the original screen. Replace the bowl and continue cooking. It works great and cost 2$.

Came back from Thailand in the summer with a huge bag of sticky rice, a tin pot and a rice basket. Wasn’t sure the best way to cook it, trawled the internet and just liked the way the whole process is described in your site. Perfect rice every time. Would recommend everyone to follow your instructions. Massaman and sticky rice – our favourite meal. Would love to try the rice with coconut milk as a sweet: my next mission.

I’ve made a couple of batches of rice now using your advice and it’s coming out better. Right now, I soak it, then I lay a thin cloth over my rice steamer basket and place in the rice cooker for 20 minutes. I ordered a traditional bamboo steamer so I’m hoping it will come out lighter. My husband thought it was a tad too crisp, but he still ate it.

Fascinated by your article! I truly thought sticky rice was a sweet, I’ve obviously only ever eaten a sweet/ coconut milk type concoction, that I find is totally incorrect! Still want to make this style however as it’s a sweet I crave a lot!

Hey Mark, I love your recipes. They are authentic which is great. I know having lived in Southern Thailand for most of my childhood. I would love to see a recipe and video on how to make the durian dessert that goes with the sticky rice. Please please do one. Thanks

I just subscribed to you, you, Ying and micah are amazing. I’ve learned so much from you. I tried making sticky rice, bought the brand Botan at a local Meijer. I usually make it in my electric rice steamer but decided to try SS steamer pan lined with cheesecloth. I rinsed it many times, then soaked over night, rinsed again in am and steamed for 15 min, it wasn’t tender, sort of sticky, 5 min more did nothing. I think I rinsed all the goodness off. Think I’d like a Bamboo steamer and no rinsing next time, right? haha, learning curve. I haven’t made your recipe YOUR way yet so can’t rate, but I can rate mine at a zero!

The sticky rice turned out absolutely perfect! With my husband being Korean and both of us being foodies, Thai food is right up our alley! I’m pretty sure we’ve watched every video you’ve produced! Thanks again for the history, connection to family, and the recipes!

Mark, I rec’d my Thai pot and basket yesterday (from Thailand!!) and made my first batch of sticky rice this morning! Thank you for the great recipe and direction. When I come to Thailand, I will let you know and try to find your street cart and say hello and thanks in person! Next up: Mango sticky rice… wish me luck! Susan

Great article thank you! The past two sticky rice orders that I placed in restaurants were, though tasty, disappointing because the rice was more like mashed rice than the photos you show. And I used to cook sticky rice back at home, before moving abroad. Now that I have my bamboo steamer, and following your simple instructions, my rice if just fluffy, sticky and just a wee bit crunchy at the surface. Thank you for a great informative article that put sticky rice in a cultural perspective.

I know you’re not asking me, but I put a cheesclothe on the rice and a lid, just like in his video. My first batch (this morning!) turned out amazing! I am storing in an airtight container until I get the Thai baskets.

I only wanted to know about how to make sticky rice not the history behind it. You should of put sticky rice recipe above all else (your story and everything else) tbh it was really irritating scrolling through and searching for the actual recipe. Change your format so the actual subject people are looking for are first and then add whatever other content next. Rating this a 2 star because of the format.

WOW….if this was all the world had to worry about, we’d be in great shape! Before you scroll through so much horrid info, try clicking on the back button on your browser. There are plenty of links for sticky rice to choose from! Otherwise don’t be intimidated by a man and his wisdom, learn something!

In my opinion, if you’re going to make the cuisines of another’s country its important to understand the history. (Even your own nationality’s traditional foods .) You never know what path it will lead you down. If nothing else you came out more knowledge than you were before. On a deeper level you may find yourself doing more research about the culture and traditions and find similarities of your own. Food is a universal language that everyone can relate too. I feel if you are a true foodie, not only does good food appease your appetite, but respect for ones culture too. I appreciate the extra time Mark takes in describing the history, taste, qualities, and so on. We don’t cook to survive and “just need a recipe.” We cook to enjoy, mourn, celebrate…all those things have a few loves in common. Family, friends…togetherness. So the next time you’re looking for just a “recipe” turn to a generic website without true passion put into it. You will get the same results in your food product. Mark, thank you for your efforts and we appreciate all the time and effort you put into it. We loved how the sticky rice turned out! It was absolutely perfect!

Hey Mark, Thanks for another excellent video. I have now invested in one of these traditional rice steamers and it works brilliantly. I was wondering why you put a cloth beneath the lid. I have noticed that not everyone does this. Is it to stop the rice sticking to the lid, or for some other purpose?

Hey Jason, awesome to hear that, and good news about the sticky rice steamer. Well, it was actually my mother in law who instructed me to, hehe! But yes, you’re on the right track, I think it’s to avoid any crusty rice on the very top and keep the moisture it.

Hi Mark.
Excellent video and article. My wife now knows the trick for making the rice (soaking overnight) and we are always busy working so it is great to know how to use as a super energy food. Thank you very much for the information again. Joey n Jessica.

Hi June, glad you enjoyed sticky rice in Thailand. Sometimes they call it Thai sweet rice or Thai sticky rice, and it should be available at any Asian supermarket, under many different brand names. Enjoy!

hi, mark.. thanks for the sharing..
i was reading bout chiangrai halal food as i will visiting chiang mai and chiang rai end of this month,but saw this sticky rice article and read it even i know it well since im from malaysia and it was 1of my favorite food,i read because you are include thai culture in it (interesting to know other culture).. well im Not surprise you eating sticky rice with green curry (its delicious). as in malaysia we do eat it with dish contain herb paste like curry! haha sticky rice is famous among malaysia as it was one of traditional food especially in malay wedding or eid celebration. but in malaysia we mostly add coconut milk while we steam it. lastly, sticky rice in malaysia mostly will found it in dessert. but in Thailand, i do want to try sticky rice with mango! as i never saw in malaysia.. but still will try sticky rice with durian i i saw it in chiang mai later. as it always my favorite and maybe its different? who cares haha

Thanks for sharing this. I have made sticky rice a couple of times recently and had researched the best methods of cooking it. My first attempt was part of a Lor Mai Kai recipe and from what I had read the best way to prepare sticky rice was by steaming it above a Wok on a splatter guard, covered with a bowl. The Lor Mai Kai recipe said to steam the rice for 30 mins, remove add the meat filling and steam for a further 30 mins. The rice was still very underdone, basically inedible.

Last night I had made a chicken dish with chilli onion and an chilli, mushroom and chicken broth like sauce and made some sticky rice to go with it. Using lessons learned from the failed Lor Mai Kai attempt. I had steamed the sticky rice for an hour this time using the Wok and splatter guard method, turning the rice every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking as the grains at the bottom picked up more moisture. The results were excellent on this occasion. The beauty of soaking the rice overnight is that it doesn’t become stodgy and mush into one big ball. Although the grains are sticky they are still noticeably separated.

I would just recommend anyone who’s trying to cook sticky rice to monitor their cooking times closely as they will no doubt vary greatly depending on what apparatus they have set up. Trial and error is key.

After living in Thailand over 10 years, there are tons of food I miss and took for granted. Thanks for posting, as your recipes are authentic which is rare. As for your story about sticky rice and curry, I hope you still eat them together. Its not a natural pairing in Thailand, but as with most foods, no need to follow a “code,” eat it the way you like it. People get so caught up with things like Pairing wines with specific foods, I always tell people “Drink the wines you like with the food you like.” So yeah, pour that curry over sticky rice and enjoy. It will give the hens something to Bok about lol.

Hey TJ, great to hear from you. Oh yes, I’m totally fine with any kinds of combinations and I do enjoy curry with sticky rice. But I still find it interesting to think of things from a local perspective.

Hey Mark,
Maybe a complete stupid side question, but this basket you make the rice in as well as the kratib khao neow…how do you clean this after use? Rince? dry? i suppose i don’t have to go for the dishwasher :-)
As we’re not used to use bamboo material I just wanted to check on this! Thanks, Stéph

Loved your post! I don’t usually read entire posts, but yours was captivating. My sister-in-law is from Laos, so I have been spoiled with sticky rice and Thai food. I purchased a sticky rice steamer basket, so I’m super excited to start making it on my own!

Mark, excellent job in presenting these detail. I recently visited Bangkok on work related matters. The group visited the Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park And Botanical Garden, and had the privilege of taking part in a traditional meal. Needless to say I fell inlove with the sticky rice. So now, I have this comprehensive knowledge of the history, traditions an cultural cuisine. Thank you so much Mark.

Hello Nigel, great to hear from you and thank you very much for your kind words. That’s awesome that you have spent some time in Thailand and that you enjoy the cuisine and sticky rice so much. Thank you for reading the blog and hope you can come back to Thailand again soon!

Hi Mark! I love your recipes and of course Thai food as well! I recently made the papaya salad watching your video. It turned out delicious! I’m excited to make sticky rice as well. Thank you for your awesome videos ????

Great site! Really enjoying your recipes. My mother and her million relatives are from Chiang Mai, and this tastes like home-cooking. I’m currently living in China and trying to make Thai recipes with the ingredients I can find here, either locally or online. Just made my first batch of Thai sticky rice today with an open pressure cooker/metal colander/cheesecloth concoction…it worked!

A quick question: What exactly do you mean by “regular rice”? Would that be Thai Hom Mali (Jasmine) Rice, perchance?

At the supermarkets here in China, there are 100 different types of rice to choose from; northern, southern, long grain, glutinous, etc. The only “Thai” rice the shops seem to carry are the Hom Mali variety. I’m wondering if that’s the “regular rice” that is typically eaten with stir fries, curries, and tom yum.

HI Mark, I love your video. I’ve been wanting to learn how to make sticky rice …..my nephew married a woman who is from Lao…..she makes sticky rice everyday …..one day I was visiting and sat down to eat dinner with them and I fell in love with sticky rice………my question to you is what kind of rice do you use for sticky rice I’ve been looking for one that says sticky rice but I can only find jasmine, sushi, and just regular white rice …….can you give me any suggestions please thank you

Interesting about the cheesecloth….My GF is from NE Thailand and makes a batch every day. I had no idea that it was such a cultural thing. I thought it was dumb but your video helps me make sense of it. Thanks.

Thanks so much for the detailed article! I grew up with a very close Laos family as friends and have great memories of sticky rice. I bought the steamer and baskets years ago but haven’t attempted to make this in several years, your article has inspired me to try again. I remember as a snack, we would grab a handful of sticky rice and lightly salt the rice or dip in salt and it was better than a handful of chips!

Loved your video. Can’t wait to try my own sticky rice. Have fantastic Thai market right next to work. Never dared to try sticky rice, but now I will! Wondering how you clean your steam basket with all that sticky rice on it?

Hey Alex, thank you very much, glad this is helpful. One of the reasons for steaming in a basket, is because the sticky rice doesn’t stick to it, it should all come out nicely. But to clean it you can just lightly wash it normally with a sponge and soap.

Loved your video, simple, easy to understand, and to the point. I live in Chiang Rai and tend to just buy my cooked sticky rice from the lady on the corner (ranges between 30-35 baht per kilo). However with that said, even though it is pretty convenient, nothing takes away the satisfaction of making something yourself. I think I’ll wander over to the market and look for a container and basket. My only issues with cooking in Thailand is that it is soooo inexpensive go out and buy a meal for a dollar or two, I get wrapped up in the convenience of it all, lol.

Hello Mark,
Today I made some sweet sticky rice and coconut ice-cream. Now am waiting for the ice-cream to be ready. I always love sticky rice. I made mine slightly sweet (coconut milk plus sugar and a pinch of salt, cooked on low heat and pour onto steamed sticky rice. Let it soak for 30 mins). I have just realised that now I have 2 desserts waiting! Sweet sticky rice with some leftover cooked coconut milk sauce and also coconut ice-cream with sticky rice plus crushed nuts!

Hi Mark, thanks for a great post. I’m half Thai and am really persnickety about rice! I just thought I’d mention here that I recently discovered that my pressurized rice cooker makes perfect sticky rice with NO soaking. I don’t know if it would work in a regular rice cooker, but I can attest that if it’s the pressure cooker type, you can count on perfect sticky rice using the regular white rice program. Of course, it’s not as much fun as the traditional method, but it works. :-)

Hi Robert, good to hear from you. Unfortunately there’s a lot of MSG added to almost all dishes, especially street food. But that being said, if you order salads or stir fried dishes, you can ask them to not add any MSG (mai sai pongshoorot), and they won’t mind.

Love your website. My husband and I were in stitches watching you ecstatic facial expression when you taste those delicious looking dishes. Mind you I’m a Thai living in England for a long time, but you certainly taught me a thing or two about my country and about cooking sticky rice. I will enjoy reading your blog and watching your videos. Ps I’m cooking gai yang with your receipe today plus som tum for late lunch. However, I will have to take a short cut and cook the sticky rice in the electric rice cooker and will make a mental note to always look for the bamboo thing when I’m in the oriental super markets. Thank you once again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me

there’s also black sticky rice. It’s whole grain and extremely rich in antioxidants. Usually sweeten is often eaten with various Thai desserts. However the unsweetened version is also quite tasty and great with Issarn food. If you can find it…

Hi Mark. First of all, excellent sticky rice post and video, I really enjoyed it! I’ve had sticky rice before but didn’t really know what to make of it as I’m much more used to ordinary rice. After your article though I may have to try it again as I’m a big sauce fan and could see myself dunking little balls of sticky rice into a scrumcious sauce before devouring. Shows you what I know cause sticky rice with green curry sounds great!!
One question though…..at my Chinese market they have quite a variety of rice and two or three brands of “glutinous” rice. Is this actually ‘sticky’ rice you just cook in a pot like you would Jasime or Basmati? Thanks again Mark….marvellous post!!

Hey Neil, thank you very much, haha glad you’re a sauce lover too! If you look at the packages of rice, it may say either sweet rice, glutinous rice, or sticky rice, but probably it will be a product of Thailand – and it will be long grain. When you see it in the package, it will look like jasmine rice size, but it’s more milky colored and not transparent at all. In Thai it’s called ข้าวเหนียวเขี้ยวงู khao neow kiew ngu. Hope you can find some.